Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-04-28
LIVELY MESSENGERS.
Stories by One Who Operated" in
War Times.
Not Doomed to Death by Water-Hair
Raising Episodes Regarding Mas
tiffs and the Discharge Of a
Big Cannon.

raising Episodes Regarding Mas
tiffs and the Discharge Of a
Big Cannon.
The old telegraph operator was in a
mood for "reminiscences again yester-
day, and he told some more stories
about the life of messenger in the
war days, when boy had to have
sand and grit, as he says, and when he
got as much for his work as many an
able-bodied man. perhaps" said the
veteran, 'the boys in New York and
other big cities have as hard time
now delivering their messages as we
had, but doubt it. Now the cities
are well lighted all night and the
streets are patrolled by policemen,
which was not so in the old days. The
boys had to plod in half-lighted or
totally dark side streets and alleys, to
climb in tenement houses where
policeman dared not go alone, and
where the surly tenants scowled out on
every visitor as though he were spy
sent out from headquarters with the
purpose in view of watching them and
reporting their doings to the detectives.
A rap on the head from mean man
angry at being aroused from his sleep
or a kick from drunken rowdy was
something the messenger was bound to
expect, If he was large and lacked
sense he might strike back and have
his head hammered for his pains, but
If he was small, as most of the BOYS
were, he had to take his kicks and
cuffs with good grace and bide the
time when he could slug the admins
terer of the abuse with skillfully
thrown half-brick.
"These were only few of the per-
ills, however. Another was from the
dogs, the prowling night dogs, who
laid for pedestrians and chewed them
with great relish. We often had to
fight them off with clubs-and that re-
minds me of little unpleasantness
had with dog in '63. Whenever l
thought of that fight in the years after
it occurred / could not help feeling
chill in my spinal column. 1t happened
one night when l had message for
the custodian of one of the captured
Confederate cruisers that were laid up
at the Government dock in Brooklyn,
at the foot of De Grau street. 1t was
very dark, damp, disagreeable night;
one of those when you can't see any
thing more than foot from you. Just
as | stepped onto the dock from the
sidewalk ! heard the pattering of feet,
and in few moments l found myself
surrounded by circle of big-jawed,
red-mouthed mastiffs, seven in all, be-
longing to the watchman. l was so
scared that l didn't dare move, but
stood there trembling all over like leaf.
l must have made some involuntary
motion of my head, as though 1
intended running away, and aroused
one of the brutes, for before / knew
what was coming he was at me with
his teeth in my shoulder His weight
and the natural impulse caused me 10
60 backward few steps. l felt some-
thing apparently give way beneath my
feet and realized that l was tumbling
off the dock. As went downward my
pants caught ON a nail-always liked
nails ever since-and l hung there with
the dog still clinging to me affection
ately. He refused TO let go and l had
to squirm around and get my Billy
Barlow knife, and reaching around cut
the animals throat. The blood pumped
out into my face, but l didn't mind it,
because it was followed by the most
welcome sound to me had ever heard
the splash of the corpse striking the
water. Well, when the watchman, at
tracted by the yelps of his dogs, got
g around to the dock, he was surprised
to find blood-stained messenger boy
hanging by his trousers to spike. He
helped me out, threatened to kill me
when he found that had given his dog
the happy dispatch, but finally compro-
missed by giving me 81, after l ex-
planned that would certainly sue him
for damages"
al guess / wasn't born to be
drowned. If l had been do you sup
pose there would have been spike to
nab me by the slack of the pants in
regular dime-novel styleP If fate in
tended that for me l would have been
a wet corpse one day when | was sent
down to the Brooklyn navy yard to de-
liver message to an officer Of the
double-ender Montgomery. In the Gus
tomary manner the sentry 'ahoyed' the
ship and the ship 'ahoyed' the sentry.
Then was taken out in a boat to the
ship. had just started to shin up her
sides, when bang went a cannon; it
seemed right into my ear drum. 1t
was the customary nine o'clock gun
they were firing. but | didn't know
that l suspected that they were bonn
harding Brooklyn or that the powder
in the ships's hold had exploded Any
how, LET go my grip and keeled back
into the water. They ished me out
with bost-hook before my lungs were